The number one spendthrift woman in the capital actually brings glory to her entire family?

Amidst the raging flames of Tengchong, people fell like wheat in autumn harvest, the heavy stench of blood filling the air. The surviving soldiers screamed like madmen, brandishing their swords, the blades flashing and leaving behind streaks of brilliant yet eerie blood.

The pursuing army had no time to figure out what was going on. Their camp had just been raided by a group of troops dressed in their Liao army uniforms. Those people seemed to be the troops of Sikong Jin of Dayong. They burned their food supplies and tents and then fled. General Duolang was furious and gave chase, but he did not expect to fall into their ambush...

The bloody battle continued into the early hours of the morning. Lord Sikong bravely charged forward, cutting a bloody path and taking the head of the enemy general. After losing their commander, the enemy army was thrown into chaos and fled in panic, only to be pursued and wiped out by the Taran soldiers who were in the midst of their killing intent.

At this moment, the butler, who had been watching from the sidelines, finally noticed the problem—

Wasn't it said there were only two thousand men?

It seems like there are far more than two thousand men now!

He was utterly bewildered, looking at the densely packed corpses around him, a sense of unease creeping into his heart. He quickly walked towards Lord Sikong, who stood amidst the carcasses, intending to voice his doubts. It was then that he noticed the severed head Lord Sikong was carrying—

That head...

Isn't that General Dorgon?

Fear flashed in the steward's eyes, and he trembled uncontrollably. He stared wide-eyed at Lord Sikong in horror. But then, Lord Sikong suddenly turned around, pulled off his mask and blindfold, and smiled brightly at him. "Steward, the soldiers of Taran City are indeed all fierce warriors!"

The steward staggered, staring at Lord Sikong in utter terror. He instinctively turned to flee, but Lord Sikong was a step ahead, appearing behind him in a flash. The steward felt a chilling aura at his waist, and trembling, he looked down into his cloak. A dagger, gleaming with a cold light, was pressed tightly against his waist. Lord Sikong's calm and gentle voice slowly reached his ears—

"Where does the butler intend to go?"

"I... um! cough cough..."

He had barely opened his mouth when a red object sprang into it. He gulped it down before he could react.

"I know you value your life, but if you don't want to end up dead in the wilderness tomorrow, you'd better listen to me. Otherwise, hmph, this poison is no ordinary poison, and the antidote is only available to me... Understand?"

The butler frantically tried to vomit the poison out by gagging his throat.

"It's no use. That poison melts instantly in your mouth. Don't you feel numb all over and dizzy right now?"

Lord Sikong smiled as he looked at the steward.

Now the steward was terrified, his face ashen, and he tried to kneel down and beg for mercy from Lord Sikong, but Lord Sikong grabbed his arm. "Cooperate with me, and I won't mistreat you. If you want to live, you have to listen to me, understand?"

"I understand! I understand!"

The butler nodded repeatedly in fear.

……

Gazing at the delicate and refined face before him, a sudden realization flashed through the butler's mind. A piece of information exploded in his head, and he shuddered, staring at Sikong Jin in astonishment. In a trembling voice, he asked, "You...you are...you are...Sikong Jin!"

Upon hearing this, a bright smile immediately appeared on Lord Sikong's face. He nodded with pleasure and said in a low voice, "Your reaction is a bit slow. I thought you should have been able to guess it the moment I chopped off Duolang's head last night. I didn't expect your reaction time to be so long, and you only realized it now!"

The butler's face changed drastically. "You...you planned this all along!"

Lord Sikong shrugged, took the water bag from Atai, gulped down a few mouthfuls of water, wiped his face with his sleeve, glanced at the twinkling stars in the sky, and laughed, "Otherwise, what do you think I infiltrated the city alone for? You instigated a riot, seized Talan City, and openly declared war on the court. You've got some nerve, thinking you have the Liao Dynasty backing you up. You're really tough! You even dared to attack Chongzhou City and wanted to collude with the Liao army to kill me. Do you all think I'm as stupid as you?"

Sikong Jin's tone turned cold instantly. "Xifeng Lie, this is a score we'll settle with you! Take him away. Haven't the scouts at the front sent back any news yet? When will Berger and the others arrive?"

Only then did Atai order his men to take the butler away.

"They should be there soon. The scouts just reported that they should be arriving in less than ten miles."

Lord Sikong nodded. "Alright, as soon as they arrive, have them immediately take control of these soldiers of Talan City. I've already arranged for an inside agent. Once the army arrives, open the city gates immediately. You and Berger, take control of the commander's mansion as quickly as possible, capture Pang Quan alive, and deal with the rioters as before! Once Talan City is recaptured, hand everything over to General Li Shouyi immediately. I've already explained everything to General Li in a secret letter. As for us, we must leave here immediately. Xi Fenglie's army is probably on its way..."

"My lord, what if Xifenglie's army attacks Taran City..."

Atai's expression changed slightly, and he asked in a low voice.

Lord Sikong smiled calmly, sat up, glanced at Atai with interest, and said with a smile, "He won't do that. His target is only me. Besides, he knows that I still have 40,000 elite troops of the Four Banners Army under my command. This place has just experienced a great disaster, and tens of thousands of rioting civilians have gathered in Talan City..."

"Then, what does Your Excellency intend to do?"

Atai asked.

"Let's leave the rest to those officials the court sent to provide disaster relief. I estimate that I will be relentlessly pursued by Xi Fenglie, with nowhere to hide. I will have no choice but to flee south and join forces with the garrison at Hangu Pass for protection!"

Sikong Jin sighed, "I never thought that I, Sikong Jin, would have such a day."

Upon hearing this, Atai smiled inwardly, thinking to himself—

My lord, this is not a flight of convenience. It is clearly a pretext to deceive the court, so that you can head south to join Lord Yukichi Ten and escape the court's control...

But can they really escape successfully?

Atai felt a growing sense of unease.